Yet we keep being told that there are contingency plans for when there are route closures.
A number of basic contingency plans have been (were) in place for years, such as pulling the Hampton Courts and running a shuttle between there and Surbiton over the Down line (just to mention one very simple example), but as the years passed there was an increasing pressure from on high, to work up 'off the shelf' contingency plans for every possible event - something that is quite frankly impossible - the Controllers did/do a brilliant job on many occasions, and get little thanks for it, and the planners, who, surprisingly had a full time job anyway, had scant time or resources to work up a whole host of contingencies, although both functions did work together as and when needed.
One thing that gets forgotten (off the shelf contingency plan wise), is that as soon as a base timetable changes, then everything else (timings, stock, crews) has to be updated. The planning side is designed for that purpose. If you then have heaven knows how many contingency plans doing the rounds, then they also have to be updated at every TT change. Staff wise, the industry just does not have the people, in numbers or experience to do that. It would require a complete new office structure - lets call it the Contingency Plan Department - to be set up, in addition to the Planners and Controllers, for such an avenue to be taken seriously. Say no more!
Whilst there are some instances yesterday (eg: Basingstoke to Woking) where something could/should have been done, not to mention local connectivity down in Dorset as touched on above, one aspect that has been to the fore over the last decade or two in such circumstances, is the thought that whilst a limited service could be provided from, say Bournemouth to Woking, everyone wanting to travel London bound, will head for those services advertised, and then they get to Woking, and get chucked off. If there is no further forward transport (due to 'the incident') or very limited, may be one train per hour round Chertsey etc, then there is a real risk of mass overcrowding at Woking, with the inherent subsequent risk of disorder and breaches of the peace, so it may be deemed safer all round to issue a 'don't travel order'. Having received an amount of 'extreme' verbal abuse from a passenger who was entirely focussed on himself and his desire to get to London, didn't give a damn about 'my excuses' (when I had just stepped in one occasion to assist colleagues at my local station), I can fully understand this. The date I refer to in this regard was 12-12-88, and I will never forget that 'spat'.